SHALE GAS Why I have decided to air this subject on the Living Foods website Elaine Bruce THE BACKGROUND When Lancashire County Council refused permission to Cuadrilla to drill for shale gas, a significant percentage of Lancastrians breathed a sigh of relief. This was echoed throughout the UK by all who know what the consequences have already been in the US and Australia. That is, large scale environmental damage and disruption and the contamination of water supplies to millions of households. The reversal of this decision by the Cameron government, upheld by the May administration, makes a mockery of both